Chani (character)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Chani
Dune character
Zendaya as Chani in Dune (2021)
First appearanceDune (1963–65)
Last appearancePaul of Dune (2008)
Created byFrank Herbert
Portrayed by
In-universe information
AliasSihaya
TitleImperial
House Atreides
Significant otherPaul Atreides
Children
Relatives
Liet-Kynes (parent)[1]
Sean Young portrays Chani in Dune (1984).
Barbora Kodetová portrays Chani in Frank Herbert's Dune (2000) and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003).

Chani (

ghola, appearing in Hunters of Dune (2006) and Sandworms of Dune (2007), Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
's novels which complete the original series.

Chani is portrayed by actress

John Harrison miniseries Frank Herbert's Dune and its 2003 sequel Frank Herbert's Children of Dune. The character is played by Zendaya in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune and its 2024 sequel
.

Character overview

Dune

In Dune, Paul's

Muad'Dib
.

Already a talented warrior before meeting Paul, Chani becomes deadly after training by Paul and Jessica in the Bene Gesserit

Corrino
raid on their home in the deep desert.

To cement his control of the Empire after deposing

Shaddam IV, Paul takes Shaddam's daughter, the Princess Irulan
as his wife. Chani understands the political reasons, but Paul reassures her:

"I swear to you now ... that you'll need no title. That woman over there will be my wife and you but a concubine because this is a political thing and we must weld peace out of this moment, enlist the Great Houses of the

Landsraad. We must obey the forms. Yet that princess shall have no more of me than my name. No child of mine nor touch nor softness of glance, nor instant of desire."[5]

Jessica adds:

"Think on it, Chani: that princess will have the name, yet she'll live as less than a concubine—never to know a moment of tenderness from the man to whom she's bound. While we, Chani, we who carry the name of concubine—history will call us wives."[5]

Dune Messiah

Twelve years later in Dune Messiah, Paul remains completely loyal to Chani. With their

Atreides genes".[6]

Irulan, herself Bene Gesserit-trained, secretly feeds Chani contraceptives to prevent her from conceiving an Imperial heir. However, Chani eventually changes to an ancient Fremen diet to enhance fertility; Irulan is unable to interfere, and Chani soon becomes pregnant. Tragically, Chani dies giving birth to the twins

ghola
in return for Tleilaxu control of the empire, but Paul has him killed. Through his prescience, Paul can see that Chani's death during childbirth is far less painful and cruel than her possible future fates had she survived.

Children of Dune

Despite her death, Chani lives on as part of the

Abomination
by summoning Paul through his own Other Memory; Paul threatens Chani, who releases her hold on Ghanima. At the end of the novel, Chani's memory-self becomes a guardian against Ghanima's other ancestral memories who may try to possess her, allowing her daughter's personality to continue and grow in safety.

God Emperor of Dune

According to God Emperor of Dune, a version of Chani's memory-self also exists in Leto II. By the time of the novel, Leto is able to allow his ancestral memories to speak through his mouth without threat of Abomination. At one point, he allows Chani to speak through him.

Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune

In the 2006

thinking machines.[citation needed
]

In

Face Dancers and twisted by the sadistic ghola of Baron Harkonnen himself. Paul is mortally wounded, but the trauma restores his memories and he manages to heal himself. Later, on the recovering planet Dune, the awakened gholas of Paul and Chani go about restoring the planet to its former glory. They have reverted to the ways of the ancient Fremen
, resolving to lead simple lives and unafraid of the plots and schemes that had threatened them in their previous lives. Now able to devote all of his attention to her, Chani remarks that Paul has finally learned how to treat his wife. As the novel closes, Paul reaffirms his love for Chani, telling her he has loved her for five thousand years.

In adaptations

Chani is portrayed by actress Sean Young in the David Lynch film Dune (1984),[8]

Tor.com wrote that "Kodetová is divine as Chani in both her sensitivity and fierceness".[11]

Zendaya portrays Chani in the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune and its 2024 sequel, Dune: Part Two.[12][13] Zendaya's portrayal of Chani, along with Timothée Chalamet's Paul, were added to Fortnite Battle Royale in October 2021.[14] [15] Villeneuve's depiction of Chani is relatively different from her portrayal in the books: where Herbert wrote her as fiercely loyal to Paul and his cause, in the film Chani is shown to grow increasingly alarmed at Paul's rise in power and doubtful of his proclaimed love for her. When he pledges to marry Princess Irulan and gains the Emperor's power, Chani refuses to bow to him and departs on a sandworm.[16] Villeneuve notes that Dune Messiah was written partly to make clear Herbert's intention that Paul was an anti-hero, with Chani's depiction in the film serving as set-up for Villeneuve's planned Dune Messiah adaptation.[17]

Family tree

Notes

  1. ^ Frank Herbert specified he intended for the "CHAY-nee" pronunciation to be used.[2] However, several audiovisual works in the Dune franchise, including the 2021 and 2024 film adaptations of the first book, have used the "CHAH-nee" pronunciation.[3][4]

References

  1. ^ Holub, Christian (2020-09-09). "'Dune' director Denis Villeneuve breaks down film's eye-popping first trailer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  2. ^ "Audio excerpts from a reading of Dune by Frank Herbert". Usul.net. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  3. ^ Villeneuve, Denis (director) (September 3, 2021). Dune (Motion picture). United States: Legendary Pictures.
  4. ^ Villeneuve, Denis (director) (February 6, 2024). Dune: Part Two (Motion picture). United States: Legendary Pictures.
  5. ^
    ISBN 0-441-17271-7
    .
  6. ^
    ISBN 0-441-17269-5
    .
  7. ISBN 978-0-441-10402-4
    pgs 73-75.
  8. ^ Maslin, Janet (December 14, 1984). "Movie Review: Dune (1984)". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2010.
  9. ^ Wertheimer, Ron (March 15, 2003). "Television Review: A Stormy Family on a Sandy Planet". The New York Times. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  10. ^ Berger, Warren (March 16, 2003). "Cover Story: Where Spice of Life Is the Vital Variety". The New York Times. p. 134. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
  11. Tor.com
    . Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  12. ^ "Cameras Roll on Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Entertainment's Epic Adaptation of Dune". Business Wire. March 18, 2019. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  13. ^ Willmore, Alison (March 1, 2024). "Dune: Part Two Is Zendaya's Movie". Vulture. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  14. ^ "PAUL ATREIDES AND CHANI TRAVEL FROM PLANET DUNE TO THE FORTNITE ITEM SHOP". Epic Games. October 20, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  15. ^ Phillips, TC (August 15, 2021). "Zendaya's Chani Will Be the Protagonist in Planned Dune Sequel". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on August 15, 2021. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  16. ^ Polk, Milan (4 March 2024). "Dune 2 Is Noticeably Different From the Book". Men's Health. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  17. ^ Shayo, Lukas (4 February 2024). "Dune 2 Fixes An Original Book Problem Says Denis Villeneuve: "Frank Herbert Was Disappointed"". ScreenRant. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chani_(character)&oldid=1218399112"